NEW YORK - The critics have words for Jeff Daniels' new Broadway hit "God of Carnage."

"First-class," said Ben Brantley of The New York Times. "Picture-perfect," raved Joe Dziemianowicz of the New York Daily News. "The ideal comedy for a nasty recession," said the Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones.

Daniels has a different label for it. "It's like a Springsteen concert in a lot of ways," he said, calling from New York City.

"Carnage," in which two couples meet to discuss a brawl between their sons, doesn't feature any musical numbers, but it does put its four-person cast through plenty of vocal gymnastics over the course of 90 minutes and, unlike Bruce, Daniels and his co-stars have to provide their own amplification in the spacious Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.

"We aren't miked," the 54-year-old Daniels explained. "So we're filling 1,000 seats vocally. Every sentence is like lifting weights, and then, when we start running around, by the end it's like Springsteen at the end of a concert. You can't walk through this one."

Jeff
Jeff Daniels stars as a reclusive author in the comedy-drama "The Answer Man," opening this summer.

Written by French playwright Yasmina Reza ("Art") and slightly Americanized for Broadway,

At first, the conversation about how to deal with the boys is relaxed and pleasant. Tensions steadily escalate, however, as everyone shares his or her opinions about the situation. A bout of nausea, a bottle of rum, a disturbing revelation about the Novak's pet hamster and Alan's insistence on taking calls on his cell phone add fuel to the fire.

"Fortunately, there is still such a thing as co-existence," Veronica says.

Daniels plays a crooked politician grilled by reporter Russell Crowe in "State of Play," which opens nationwide on Friday. Visit James Sanford's movie blog for more.

Pushy, vaguely condescending Alan is by far the least sympathetic of the quartet, constantly dodging the discussion in favor of long-distance strategizing with the executives of a pharmaceutical company he's defending. When Veronica serves him a slice of her specially prepared clofutti, Alan gobbles down the dessert like a starving dog, pausing only long enough to bark "I didn't have lunch" before shoveling more of it into his mouth.

Annette tries to shame Alan for his lack of interest in the crisis at hand, but he snarls: "I'm already doing you a big favor by being here in the first place."

While Michael, Veronica and Annette at least pretend to be upset about the incident, Alan seems to take a secret delight in his son's aggressive behavior.

"Alan has his views of the world," Daniels said, in a tone that is only semiapologetic. "He's kind of in the place at the top of the show that the others will come to later. He's the reverse of what happens: They're more mannered and civil, while Alan is direct and brutally honest. ... We've all sat next to that guy on the airplane."

"It's a delightfully snarly performance, exuding a combativeness that's ready for any fight," Associated Press drama critic Michael Kuchwara said of Daniels' performance.
Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune called him "intensely focused" and "deliciously detestable."

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• Theater: "God of Carnage" -- Now playing at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 W. 45th St. in New York City. For performance schedules and ticket information, call (800) 432-7780.

Since it opened on March 22, "Carnage" has turned into a scorchingly hot ticket. According to BroadwayWorld.com, which tracks theatrical grosses, the show sold almost 95 percent of its seats for the week ending March 29.

"We're getting stuff like 'I want to see it 10 times' from people who've been going to things for years and years," Daniels said. "The reaction has been pretty overwhelming."

Daniels said he's even had to turn down requests from friends hoping for free seats.

"They'll say, 'How about Saturday?' and I'll say, 'Uh, how about May?'" But he's not terribly surprised that Reza's dark farce has struck a chord with audiences.

"In this country we love to watch people behaving badly," he said. "Just look at all the reality shows."

"Carnage" opened in London in March 2008 with Ralph Fiennes in the role of Alan (called Alain in the original script). Fiennes -- who won a Tony in the 1995 Broadway production of "Hamlet" and enjoyed great success in "Faith Healer" in 2006 -- originally had planned to bring "Carnage" to Broadway, but plans changed and Daniels was contacted about the play last Thanksgiving.

He and his co-stars are committed to the show "through the end of July, but they are talking to us about extending it."

Taking a long-term job far away from his home in Chelsea used to be problematic, although Daniels said that's recently changed.

"My youngest kid is now in college, so with the 'empty nest' thing, we can do that now," he said. "For 20 years I could go off and do movies because I could fly home. ... But with Broadway, it's a commitment: Six months, and you're in New York. Now that the kids are out of the house, it allowed me the freedom to do that."

A flurry of films

Daniels also has been busy working on several upcoming films, including the political thriller "State of Play," with Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck, which opens nationwide on Friday.

"I did three scenes in that," he said. "... I play a politician who's a little too wrapped up in the tangled web of corruption, and Russell busts me on it as I try to get Ben tangled up in it. I'm one of the guys that you want to see go down."

Daniels also plays a reclusive author of self-help books in the comedy "The Answer Man," which is getting favorable reviews on the festival circuit, and a somewhat reluctant grandfather-to-be in "Away We Go," directed by Sam Mendes ("Revolutionary Road") and starring John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Allison Janney and Catherine O'Hara. Also coming to theaters before the year's end is "Paper Man," in which Daniels plays a once-promising novelist in what's described by Variety as a "coming-of-middle-age comedy."

As "Carnage" was starting its run, Daniels was in the process of wrapping up filming on "Howl," an ensemble drama about poet Allen Ginsberg's obscenity trial in 1957. James Franco plays Ginsberg. Mary-Louise Parker, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm and Alessandro Nivola co-star.

So what is the secret to having the stamina to shoot a movie during the day and face a Broadway audience at night?

"That's a really good question, and I'm not sure there's a positive answer," Daniels said, chuckling. "Let me put it this way: It seemed like a good idea a month ago."